


Coffees and Hot Cocoa and Little Girls

by Poorlittleklainer



Series: Klaine One Shots [12]
Category: Glee
Genre: AU, Fashiondesigner!Kurt, Fluffy, M/M, Rachel's A Mom, meet cute, teacher!Blaine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-03 00:10:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16797520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poorlittleklainer/pseuds/Poorlittleklainer
Summary: In which Kurt is Uncle Kurt the Not-Famous-Yet-But-Will-Be fashion designer and Blaine's the handsome stranger they bump into in line





	Coffees and Hot Cocoa and Little Girls

Kurt doesn't know how he managed to get talked into a: taking care of the Demon Child (his loving nickname for Rachel's daughter) or b: taking said Demon Child ice skating when she knows he's terrible at it. So, that's how he finds himself wobbling shakily on the ice while watching his best friend's seven year old daughter skate gracefully along the rink. 

"Uncle Kurt, what are you doing? Come skate with me!" Christina, (AKA Cris, AKA Demon Child) demands, skidding to a stop and causing ice to spray up on Kurt's jeans. 

"You keep skating, Cris. I'm going to hang back here and watch you for a bit," Kurt tells her. She nods, immediately turning and speeding off so fast her long brown hair flies along behind her. He sighs, watching her skate through the crowd with ease. He really doesn't mind Demon Child, he just calls her that because she has him wrapped around her thumb and she knows it. He remembers how scared Rachel was when she found out she was pregnant with her, how relieved she was when Finn promised he'd help take care of her. They were both so young, only twenty years old, but Kurt remembers being jealous of the devotion that Finn had for Rachel, and how he had absolutely no hesitation at the prospect of taking care of her and his child. And then he remembers how heartbroken she was when Finn died in that car crash, the terror she felt when she realized she'd have to do this alone, without him. It's been seven years, but Rachel is finally getting over the heartbreak and putting herself back out there and dating. Which is why Kurt's watching Demon Child, because even though Rachel is finally dating _his_ love life is decidedly less interesting, so he had no plans for a Friday night. 

Kurt continues watching Cris skate until she tires herself out, something that will help him indefinitely for the next couple hours. She has an unlimited amount of energy, Kurt doesn't understand how she can have that much energy inside such a tiny body. Because while her father might have been a giant, Cris definitely takes after her mother in height. 

The two of them pass a hot chocolate stand, and Cris begins pulling Kurt towards the man.

"Please Uncle Kurt? Can we get some? Please?" Cris begs, looking up with those sad brown eyes that reminds Kurt so much of Finn's. There was no doubt that Cris is Finn's child when you look into those eyes. As usual, Kurt can't seem to say no to this little girl, even though he _knows_ that this is just going to revive her energy and he'll have to spend the next couple hours struggling to keep up with her. However, before he can say anything, Cris bumps into a man, who lets out a surprised noise and Kurt is grateful he didn't let out a swear around Cris's very perceptive seven year old ears. 

"I'm so sorry," Kurt immediately blurts before the man even turns around. He's glad he said something before, because he finds himself unable to say anything when he does turn around. He was wearing a bright red scarf, and his black coat was getting soaked with what undoubtedly was the drink in his hand. His hazel eyes widened as he looked down at Cris, and then over at Kurt. Kurt continued to look at him, he honestly looked like he just stepped out of the 1950s with his slicked back black hair. He was decidedly not bad to look at. Oh, who was he kidding, this stranger was definitely very attractive. 

"It's fine, it was an accident," the stranger says. Kurt looks down at Cris, who's staring wide eyed at the man. He nudges her side, raising an eyebrow at her silence because he knows she knows what to say in this situation. 

"I'm sorry mister," Cris tells him. The stranger smiles down at Cris, and she gives him a hesitant smile back. 

"It's okay. Accidents happen," he says. Kurt immediately tightens his grip on Cris's hand when it looks like she's about to jump forward towards the counter. 

"Let me buy you another drink, since it's our fault yours is currently dripping all over that jacket of yours," Kurt offers. The man looks down at his coat, and back at Kurt with a slight chuckle. 

"It's really no problem. I was heading home anyways, I just wanted to stop for some hot chocolate," the stranger tries to brush off his offer. 

"Please, I insist," Kurt persists. The stranger sighs, shaking his head with a smile. Kurt grins as he nods, and Cris finally succeeds in pulling Kurt towards the counter. 

"One small hot chocolate, and two mediums please," Kurt says, handing over the money and accepting the small cup first. He hands it to Cris, warning her not to drink it right away because it's hot, and then the two medium cups. He turns back to the stranger, who accepts the drink with a smile. Cris stands to the side, silent as she breathes in the scent of the hot chocolate. 

"Thank you," the stranger tells him. Kurt nods, smiling at the man again. 

"My name's Kurt, by the way," Kurt introduces himself. 

"Blaine," the man says, reaching out his hand. Kurt grabs it, and watches as Blaine easily smiles, tucking his hand back into his pocket while Kurt feels Cris start pulling on his sleeve. Kurt glances down at Cris, who's holding her own drink with one hand and looking up at him with those trademark wide eyes. 

"Uncle Kurt, I have to go to the bathroom," she tells him. Kurt nods, looking back at Blaine, who's smiles seems to widen for whatever reason and he tilts his head slightly, watching the exchange between the two with a strange expression on his face. 

"It was nice to meet you, Blaine. And I'm sorry again," he apologizes once more. Blaine shrugs his shoulders. 

"It's really no problem. Thank you for the hot chocolate," he says, holding up the cup slightly. Kurt smiles, and feels his sleeve get pulled on once more. At that, he gives one last fleeting look at Blaine, before grabbing Cris's hand and leading her to that nearest bathroom. 

The two of them head back to their apartment, Cris falls asleep on the subway, so Kurt finds himself carrying her into the building. He tries to move as gently as possible, not wanting to wake her up by his movements, but if she didn't wake up during the walk from the subway station to their apartment building, he doubts she's waking up anytime soon. When he gets to the apartment he shares with Rachel, he sees her sitting on their couch. She sees the sleeping form in his arms, and smiles thankfully at him. 

"Thank you so much for taking her," she whispers. Kurt nods, whispers back "you're welcome" before taking her to her bedroom. He hears Rachel following behind him, and he sets her on top of her bed and lets Rachel start changing her into pajamas and tuck her in. While she does that, he heads to his own bedroom, changing out of his clothes into some sweats and old long sleeve he got his freshman year at Parsons, where he got his degree in fashion design. By the time he's changed, Rachel knocks quietly and lets herself into his room. 

"Hey," he says gently, watching as she climbs onto his bed and grabs her knees against her chest. "How are you?" He asks. 

"I don't really know," she tells him, looking down at his bedsheets before looking up at him. Kurt walks over and sits next to her, letting her rest her head against his shoulder. He wraps an arm around her and squeezes. 

"It was really nice. His name's Daniel, we went out to dinner and talked the entire time. It's just, I don't know. This is the first date I've had since everything happened, and I couldn't help but wonder if I'm really ready," she whispers. He sighs, looking down at her resting on his shoulder. 

"Only you can answer that, Rach. There's no set time limit for this sort of thing. It took my dad a long time to get himself to a place that he could love another person again, and I think you know that Finn would want you to move on and find somebody else that can love you and the little girl you two have," Kurt says. He watches her nod her head. 

"I know you're right, logically. It's just, the thought of loving somebody else is so hard. I always thought that Finn would be my one and only love. He was all I ever needed," she says, and he watches as a tear falls down her cheek. He sighs again, moving down to lay down on the bed. Rachel follows him, and once he gets comfortable, he opens his arms. She smiles and lays down on his chest, immediately cuddling up against his side. 

"You, Rachel Berry, are an amazing mother. You are an incredibly talented woman, and you will always love Finn, that will never change. And if you never want to let another person into your life like that, that is perfectly okay," he tells her. He hears Rachel sniff, and watches as she wipes away tears. 

"Thank you," Rachel quietly murmurs, and the two of them lay side by side together until both of them end up falling asleep. 

************

A week later, Kurt steps outside his small design house, heading down the street to the nearest coffee shop. It wasn't a Starbucks, instead just a quaint little shop on the corner of his street that served the best mocha he's ever had. And luckily, the owner was a fan of his work, so she usually had a little discount for him when he came in. Like usual, she's at the register when he steps up. 

"Hey, Kurt. One medium nonfat mocha will be waiting for you in a second," Tina grins, telling him all of this before he even steps up fully to the counter. Kurt laughs and grabs his wallet, handing over the money as Tina quickly gives the cup over to the nearby worker. She accepts the money, and sadly he can't chat with her over his newest line because the store is a little busy, so he steps to the side to wait for his coffee before he can go back to work. 

"Hey, it's Kurt, right?" Kurt looks up in surprise at the voice, seeing a familiar face walk up to him. The stranger is grinning, and it takes Kurt a moment to recognize the face of the man. It's Blaine, and instead of wearing a scarf and tasteful jacket, he's completing his 1950s look with the same gelled back hair complete with a red plaid bow tie and black vest. Kurt eyes the dark red skinny jeans, paired with a red plaid shirt and black button down vest. Kurt smiles as he remembers the attractive stranger from last week that Cris spilled hot chocolate on. 

"Yeah, funny running into you here," Kurt laughs, watching as Blaine stops in front of him, holding his own cup of coffee. 

"I notice you are without any children this time," Blaine grins.

"Yes, I am. You are safe from any impending drink related disasters," Kurt laughs, watching Blaine laugh along. Moments later, his name is being called from the bar, and he grabs his coffee and glares at Tina, who's obviously watching the exchange between the two of them with too much interest to even be pretending not to watch them. 

"I can't believe you come here. I've been telling my friends about this place for months, but they all work too far away to come here very often," Blaine says when he turns back to him. Kurt nods, knowing that this place is a little out of the way of most people. 

"Yeah, I understand that. I'm just lucky I work down the street so I can come here way too often. It's so bad that Tina knows my order by heart," he grins. Blaine looks at him curiously, and despite the fact that Kurt really only has time to just grab coffee before he needs to head back to work, he finds himself unable to pull himself away. 

"Really? What do you do?" Blaine asks. 

"I'm a fashion designer. I don't have a store or anything yet, but I'm slowly working myself there," Kurt tells him.

"He's a damn good designer too!" Tina yells out, and Blaine laughs while Kurt blushes, turning around and glaring at Tina with all his power. If looks could kill, she would be incinerated at that moment, which Kurt very much wished would happen. 

"I'm sure you are," Blaine grins wider at Kurt's blush, and even though his cheeks are no doubt bright red, Kurt can't help but smile back. However, the mood is ruined by the sharp ringing of his phone, and when he looks down at it, the familiar name of his assistant shows up, along with the text of _SOS_. 

"I'm so sorry, I really have to go," Kurt tells Blaine. He nods, understanding as Kurt shoves his phone back into his jacket pocket. 

"It was great to see you again," Blaine calls out. Kurt turns around at the door, smiling at Blaine as he shrugs his scarf tighter around his neck, preparing himself for the cold.

"You too, Blaine," he grins, watching Blaine smile widely one more time before rushing back down the street, where the SOS just turned out to be one of the sewing machines running out of thread. He _really_ needed a new assistant who didn't have the IQ of a two year old. Okay, that was a little mean, he loves Bianca, but she can be a bit clueless at times.

The next day, returns to Tina's shop, desperately needed his caffeine fix before heading back to work. He was currently working on a new line, specifically for an upcoming fashion magazine that was dedicating itself to breakout talent, while being a breakout magazine itself. But it was a paying job, it was his name in print, and it was a chance to get his work out there. Who knows who reads this magazine after all? 

Kurt smiles at Tina when he walks in. There wasn't many people inside, just a couple sitting in the corner by the fireplace. Tina smiled at Kurt as he walked up, handing over a cup automatically before Kurt could even say anything. 

"God I love you," he breathes, watching Tina's grin widen. "Do you know how amazing you are?" He asks, grabbing his wallet and handing her his card. 

"It's already been paid for," Tina says, giving him a knowing smirk. He looks at her curiously, but when she doesn't take his card, he returns it to his wallet. 

"What do you mean?" He asks. Tina shrugs, unable to keep the smile off of her face however. 

"Oh, it was paid for by a very handsome gentleman earlier today, who's also a regular of mine. I can't believe you two have never ran into each other before, both of you come here all the time," Tina laughs, and before Kurt can say anything, she's handing him his drink. Kurt looks at the cup in his hand, dumbfounded that Blaine paid for his coffee. They don't even know each other, and yet he paid for Kurt's drink. 

"Hey, Tina?" He asks, looking up to find Tina watching him with that smirk still on her face. He wants to glare at her, but he's too busy blushing slightly to be very effective. 

"I guess I'll pay for his next drink then," He says, giving Tina his card. She laughs, that stupid grin still of her face as she accepts his card and swipes. Kurt watches the total relieved that it's not some stupidly expensive drink, just a regular medium drip, a little less expensive than his own mocha. She writes on the cup, setting it to the side and handing him back his credit card. 

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I really have to get back to work," he tells her, partly because it's the truth, he really _does_ have a shit load to do before his photoshoot. But also because he really can't stand that knowing look on her face. Tina laughs, waving goodbye before promising to let the handsome man with the bow tie know exactly who bought his drink. Again, Kurt tries to glare at her, but he's too busy blushing to really be scary. 

It goes on that way for a whole week. Kurt finds that his coffee is paid for each day he comes into Tina's, both of them keep missing each other until the day before his magazine shoot and Kurt is too busy to escape, frantically sewing last minute changes. He's hand sewing pearls onto a dress, cursing when he pricks his finger once again, when his assistant, Bianca, asks him if he wants her to grab his daily coffee. 

"Please?" He asks her from his spot of the floor. She nods, flicking her ponytail back over her shoulder before her hears the click of her heels recede. He goes back to struggling with the dress, completely unaware of Bianca returning until the door shuts with a loud bang. 

"Bianca, you are a lifesaver," he pokes his head up from underneath the dress to see her grinning from ear to ear. It's then that he remembers he forgot to mention about Blaine and the coffees they keep paying for each other. 

"You might want to look closely at that cup this time. The girl at the register told me to tell you that she wants to be invited to the wedding," Bianca says. Kurt looks at her confused, until she hands him the cup. He looks down to see the writing along the side. 

_How about instead of buying you coffee, I buy you dinner? Saturday at 7?_ Kurt blushes as he reads the message, turning the cup around to see the cell phone number on the back, followed by a winking face. 

"Go answer emails," Kurt orders, watching as Bianca laughs before heading back downstairs to her desk. Kurt sighs, even though Bianca isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, she still is a sweet kid. He looks back at the coffee cup again, blushing at the offer even though nobody is around. He eyes the dress form in the middle of the room, and on the table next to it, his cell phone which was currently playing music. He sighs, grabbing his phone and texting the number on the cup. 

_Saturday at 7 works for me._ He quickly sends the message, and then returns back to work. 

He returns home the next day, exhausted by exhilarated. The photoshoot went extremely well, the photographer loved the outfits, the models behaved perfectly, and there was only a few hiccups, but nothing that couldn't be fixed with a quick hand stitch or two. He collapses onto the couch, the apartment quiet for once. Rachel must have taken Cris out to dinner or something.

"Uncle Kurt! Guess what?" The door opens and Cris practically jumps on top of him, narrowly avoiding kneeing him in places she should not be aware existed at seven years old. He fights back the groan that wants to escape at the restful atmosphere being broken by the Demon Child, and instead manages to smile at the seven year old looking at him with her eyes wide and excited.

"What, Cris?" He asks, reaching up and brushing some of her hair back behind her ear. 

"Mommy and Danny and me went to the zoo! We saw all the animals and I even got ice cream!" She grins, rolling off me to run towards Rachel, hugging her waist tightly. 

"Wow, that sounds like a fun day," Kurt says, looking up at Rachel, who was easily just as exhausted and clearly regretting the decision to give her child ice cream, especially as she just seems to keep wanting to run around. 

"Hey, honey, why don't you go to your room and play while mommy makes dinner?" Rachel suggests, and thankfully Cris seems to agree, running towards her room where Kurt can faintly hear her playing with her dolls or some other toy. 

"Danny, huh?" Kurt raises an eyebrow, watching Rachel pulling out ingredients for a quick vegan stir fry. 

"I decided to give Daniel a second shot. This time with Cris, because he needed to know that we were a package deal. He took it very well, actually," she explains. Kurt smiles, happy that she seems to be giving dating another chance. 

"So, I'm going to be gone tomorrow night, it'll just be you and Cris for dinner," Kurt tries to nonchalantly say. However, Rachel seems to somehow understand exactly the reason why Kurt's bowing out of dinner, and grins at him from her spot by the stove. 

"Oh? And why exactly is that, Mr. Hummel?" She asks. Kurt glares at her wide grin, which does nothing because of the fact that she seems immune after so many years together. 

"I'm going on a date, happy?" He tells her. Rachel turns around, and Kurt is sure she's hiding a silent squeal of happiness. He admits, it's been awhile since he's gone out on a date. But he's been focused on starting up his own line, which takes more time that he realistically has and would by no way be accommodating to a relationship. But now that he's starting to make an actual name for himself, he'll find out more once his photoshoot is released in next month's edition, he actually can't wait for this date tomorrow. 

"I almost forgot!" Rachel suddenly turns around, looking at Kurt with wide eyes that are almost identical to her daughter's. "How was your photoshoot?" Kurt grins, launching into recounting every single detail of his long, exhausting, utterly successful day. 

_I have literally nothing to wear,_ Kurt thinks as he looks inside his overstuffed closet the next day. His bed is covered in various shirts and pants and vests and scarves, each one of them decidedly not worthy of being worn that particular day for that particular occasion. He continues staring at his closet, completely defeated. 

"Wow, this looks like Cris's room after she finishes playing with her toys," Rachel pokes her head in and comments on the state of his room. Kurt turns around and glares at her, not wanting to put up with her commentary when he knows that his room is a disaster zone. 

"Shut up, Rachel. I have no clue what to wear and he knows I'm a fashion designer and this is probably the most stressed I've been because I haven't gone out on a date in who knows how long and-" 

"Kurt, breathe," Rachel interrupts his frantic monologuing. She gives him that look that he's dubbed the mom look, the one with the raised eyebrows that seems equal parts stern equal parts comforting. "You are overthinking this, even I know that. And who was the girl who wore animal sweaters all throughout high school?" She laughs at that, and Kurt manages a small chuckle. 

"Stop overthinking, Kurt. You look fabulous in sweats and your old Parsons's shirt that you refuse to get rid of even though you can barely see the words anymore. Now, I gotta go have a tea party with my daughter and her stuffed animals. I hope your date goes amazing, because you deserve it," Rachel smiles, and goes across the hall to Cris's room. Kurt smiles, turning back to his closet. 

He finally manages to dress himself, styling his hair in record time because he really did take way too long trying to get an outfit together. But he eventually gets off the subway at the correct stop and follows Blaine's directions he had texted him the night he accepted their date. He ends up spying Blaine standing outside a small Italian spot that he's been meaning to try with Rachel and Cris. He watches Blaine smile as he approaches, and Blaine leaves his spot on the corner to greet Kurt. 

"Hey, Kurt," he grins as he reaches him. Kurt smiles at Blaine's obvious eagerness, and the two of them walk inside and out of the cold. 

"How are you?" Kurt asks, Blaine glancing up at him as he holds the door open for him. 

"Extremely happy that you accepted my offer of dinner," Blaine responds, and Kurt blushes at his eagerness. With that admission, it eases the worry that his own eagerness wasn't going to be reciprocated. 

"Well, I never turn down the offer of a free meal," Kurt grins, watching Blaine laugh and his own smile widening at the sound. Kurt walks with him up to the hostess, where Blaine states that the two of them have a reservation under Anderson. The two of them follow her through the restaurant, which was surprisingly quiet for the amount of people it had inside. There was a small stage set up on the far end of the room, where a pianist was playing a soft melody. Blaine holds Kurt's chair for him, and he smiles as Blaine insists Kurt sit first. 

"Such a gentleman," Kurt comments in a teasing tone, but accepts the offer nonetheless and Blaine sits across from him, shrugging his shoulders. 

"Just what I was taught growing up. Private school and my parents," he tells him.

"Did you go to school here in New York?" Kurt asks, grabbing his menu and looking over the numerous options that sounded just as good as the last one. 

"No, I grew up in Ohio actually. I moved here for college," Blaine explains. Kurt looks up in surprise at the mention of Ohio. 

"Really? So did I, Lima," he shares. Blaine looks surprised at his admission. 

"Westerville, wow, small world huh?" The two of them laugh, and go into a comfortable silence as they both start looking over the menu choices. Once they both decide on what to order, they begin talking again. At first, they talk about growing up in Ohio, how both of them were part of glee club for their respective schools, how they probably saw each other at competitions but neither of them can remember ever talking to each other. They discuss their jobs, Kurt gushes about his fashion line and Blaine listens while actually seeming interested. Blaine worked at an elementary school by Tina's shop, and normally stopped in the morning to get his coffee before work, hence why they seemed to miss each other every day the week they bought each other coffee. Kurt then mentions wanting to bring Rachel and Cris to this place after they start eating, both of them stating their food is amazing. 

"The little girl that bumped into me, right?" Blaine asks. Kurt nods, taking a sip of his water. 

"Yeah, that's my niece Christina. If you want to be technical she's my step-niece but I never said step-brother. Finn was my brother," Kurt says, feeling the familiar sadness at the mention of Finn, and his face probably reveals that because Blaine reaches across the table and grabs Kurt's hand. 

"He was?" Blaine asks, obviously hearing the past tense in Kurt's explanation. He sighs, knowing that normally you don't talk about deep stuff like this on the first date, but Kurt finds himself revealing more than he probably should on the first date to Blaine. 

"Yeah, he died seven years ago, before Cris was born. Rachel was devastated, and that's why she named her Christina, Christina Hudson Berry. Christina because Finn's middle name was Christopher, and her middle name is Hudson because that's Finn's last name," Kurt explains. Blaine nods, squeezing Kurt's hand before letting go because the waitress arrives with their check. Before Kurt can reach for his wallet, Blaine is grabbing his credit card and waving off Kurt's offer to at least go Dutch. 

"You can pay for the next date," he smiles, and Kurt's stomach flutters at the easy mention of the next date. 

The two of them leave the restaurant, both immediately shivering in the cold air. Blaine walks him towards the subway station, and it turns out that they both get on the same line, so they continue talking on the subway. 

By the time they get to their station, both of them making plans for another date the following weekend, parting ways. Kurt walks into his apartment with a giant smile, knowing that he's grinning like a madman but unable to help himself. Rachel waits for him on the living room couch, holding a mug of tea in her hands. Kurt closes the door quietly, knowing Cris is in her bedroom asleep and sitting next to Rachel. 

"So, how was it?" She demands, and Kurt finds himself gushing the details, unable to help himself. Rachel smiles and laughs, obviously happy at how good the date went. The two of them talk well into the night, regretting it the next morning when Cris wakes them up at seven in the morning, but even that can't stop his utter happiness. Kurt can honestly say he doesn't remember feeling this happy about any of his dates. Sure, he's enjoyed his previous boyfriends, but none of them left him with the feeling of utter joy after their very first date. 

***********

The next week, even though Kurt doesn't meet with Blaine in person, they text each other all the time. Blaine is teaching most of the day, but he still manages to ask Kurt how his day is going, just small little things that makes him smile during the day while Kurt works. And they keep going out, keep talking to each other and before he knows it, it's been two, nearly three, months and Blaine is officially his boyfriend.

He's in his workshop sewing a dress for a customer when Blaine surprises him at work. His line got a really good review from the magazine shoot, and after the edition came out he finds himself with a lot more commissions than before. Which means he's working harder than ever, but he's too happy with his success to care about the stress. 

"Wow, this is really cool," Kurt looks up in surprise when Blaine walks in, holding two cups of coffee in his hands. 

"Blaine! What are you doing here?" Kurt asks, smiling as Blaine hands him his coffee. He leans down and kisses him lightly in greeting, smiling wider at Blaine's grin. Even after a month of dating, Kurt sometimes can't get over the fact that he can do things like that, just kiss Blaine in greeting, and that will make Blaine smile no matter what. 

"It's spring break, so I figured I'd stop in on my amazingly talented boyfriend and see if he has time for lunch?" Blaine asks. Kurt wants to say yes immediately, but remembers that he's supposed to be meeting Rachel and Cris for lunch in thirty minutes.

"I actually have plans with Rachel and Cris," Kurt says, and Blaine's smile disappears for a quick second before coming back, just not as bright as before. 

"Oh, okay. We can go out tomorrow then," he says, and before Blaine can turn around, Kurt quickly grabs his hand. 

"Or you could come with us?" He suggests. Blaine looks surprised, and Kurt tries to smile through his worry. 

"You want me to?" Blaine asks, and Kurt immediately nods. Even though it's only been a couple months, Kurt really wants this relationship to work out, and he wants Blaine to meet not just Rachel and Cris, but his entire family. It momentarily shocks him, that thought. It took him a much longer time to introduce past boyfriends to his family, but with Blaine, he really doesn't want to wait. 

"I do," Kurt reassures. Blaine is silent for a moment, obviously contemplating, but when he answers there's no sign of any type of hesitation in his voice. 

"I'd love to," he says. Kurt smiles, trying not to show how relieved he was that Blaine accepted. He has to know that by meeting Kurt's family, it means Kurt wants this relationship to work out. So the fact that he accepted, Kurt's happiness level soars to new heights, and he has to turn around and start working on the hem of the dress he's working on in order to not show Blaine he's grinning like a madman. 

"Alright. You can sit there for about ten minutes and then we will head out," Kurt points towards the side of the room, where he's set up a comfortable lounge area. He watches as Blaine walks over and takes a seat, forcing himself to look back at the hem of the dress he's currently fixing. He's aware that Blaine is watching him, and even though the two of them don't talk, they maintain a comfortable silence listening to the music Kurt has playing over the speakers. Kurt continued working until they had to leave, and then the two of them begin walking down to the cafe Kurt had planned to meet Rachel and Cris. 

Rachel immediately perks up when Kurt walks in with Blaine, even though Kurt _told_ her not to make her reaction to meeting him obvious. Kurt can see Cris sitting in her chair, legs swinging in the air without a care in the world, coloring one of her coloring books on the table in front of her.

"Hey, Rachel," Kurt says as he walks over, "this is Blaine. Blaine, this is my best friend and roommate Rachel. And this is Christina," at her name, Cris looks over and glares at Kurt. 

"It's Cris, Uncle Kurt," she grumbles. Kurt smiles down at her trying so hard to be tough. 

"I know it is, but your full name is Christina and that's the name people are going to introduce you with," he says. Cris tries to look mad for a couple more seconds, but before long she's back to her usual happy self. She looks over at Blaine and smiles widely at him, showing off the slight dimples she has. 

"It's nice to meet you, mister," Cris holds out her hand, probably emulating Rachel more than knowing proper etiquette, and Kurt can't help watching the exchange gleefully. Cris seems to be accepting of Blaine, which is a good thing. If he can survive Cris, he can certainly survive his father and step mother. 

"Nice to meet you too, Cris. What are you coloring there?" Blaine asks, pointing towards her coloring book. Cris gives him a big smile, revealing a missing gap in her teeth that Kurt swears wasn't there this morning. 

"It's Stitch! From Lilo and Stitch. He's my favorite," she points towards the picture, where Kurt could proudly say that she was staying mostly in the lines. 

"Uncle Kurt, guess what?" Cris gasps loudly, turning to look at him. 

"What?" He asks, unable to help grinning as she flashes another of her smiles, putting her tongue in the missing spot on the bottom row. 

"I lost a tooth! Mommy said that if I put it under my pillow, the Tooth Fairy will visit me and leave me a quarter," she exclaims. Kurt looks over at Rachel, raising an eyebrow before turning back to Cris. 

"That's sounds awesome," Kurt tells her. She grins once again, and then turns back to her coloring book. Kurt turns to Blaine, who's watching the exchange with a small smile, which widens when he sees Kurt looking at him. 

"You want to get some food?" He asks. Blaine nods, and the two of them get Rachel and Cris's orders before heading up to the counter. They order quickly, and both of them carry all four drinks to the table in the corner that were all set up at. 

"Thanks, Kurt," Rachel states as he hands her her water, "so Blaine. Kurt tells me you're an elementary teacher?" She rests her chin on her hand as she looks at Blaine. Kurt glares at her again, he told her _no interrogations! He's just bringing his boyfriend to lunch for the first time and she would **not** interrogate him. _

"Yeah, I teach second graders," he answers. 

"Oh really? You like it? I only have one kid, I can't imagine how you deal with a classroom full of them," Rachel laughs, and Blaine chuckles along. Cris doesn't even look up from her coloring, moving on from Stitch and now coloring Sully from Monsters Incorporated. 

"It can be a bit stressful, let me tell you. But I love it," Blaine smiles, and Kurt rests his hand on his thigh under the table, causing Blaine to glance over at him. The two give each other quick smiles, and then Rachel continues asking all kinds of questions. But despite Kurt's previous banning of interrogations, Blaine seems eager to answer her questions. Sitting there, listening to him deal with his crazy best friend, all the while making conversation with Cris as well, Kurt can't help but think about much he likes the man sitting next to him. It's only been a couple months, getting closer to three, but he can already feel himself thinking about six months with Blaine, a year, two years, forever. 

Eventually, Kurt really needs to get back to the studio, so he and Blaine say goodbye to the girls and head out. Blaine walks him back to the studio, where they part with a quick kiss. Kurt grins as he watches Blaine walk away, and only returns to his work when Blaine turns the corner and he can't see him anymore. 

"You look happy," Kurt jumps when he turns around to see Briana sitting in her desk, grinning knowingly. 

"Shut up," Kurt blushes, causing Briana to laugh. 

"Love's a good look on you, Kurt!" Briana calls out to him as he walks past her. He can feel his blush creeping up the back of his neck, and no doubt that is what causes her laughter to increase. He heads up to start working again when her words sink in. 

Love? Isn't it too early for that? Isn't that supposed to come later? Like, after a year of dating and introducing him to his family. He thinks back to this afternoon, it wasn't even a date but he couldn't imagine spending his time with him any different. He just wanted to spend his days with Blaine, all of them, for as long as he can. Maybe it's not necessarily love yet, but it's definitely sounding like it'll get there, and soon. 

Despite the twinge of fear he feels at that, the idea of letting another person into his heart and therefore giving them the capability to destroy him should terrify him. But he also can't help but feel a flutter of happiness at the thought that maybe, just maybe, Blaine might be falling in love with him too. 

**********

"Blaine! Blaine! Blaine! Oh my god, where the hell are you Blaine?" Kurt runs into Blaine's apartment, using the spare key he gave him last month. His bag is almost off his shoulders and he's tripping over his shoes while at the same time trying to take them off as he practically sprints into the living room. Blaine looks up in surprise at Kurt's sudden entrance, but smiles when he sees Kurt's ear to ear grin. He walks over and helps him with his jacket, draping it carefully over the couch. 

"Kurt, calm down," Blaine laughs, knowing that when he gets like this there is pretty much nothing to do for Kurt to stop talking so fast. He grabs Kurt's hands and Kurt laughs, unable to help himself with how giddy he was. 

"You'll never believe what happened! So you know that magazine shoot I did when we first started dating seven months ago?" Kurt stops for Blaine to nod, "well one of the workers from Marie Claire saw it, passed it on to her boss, who passed it onto _her_ boss, and it eventually got to Anne Fulenwider! She saw it and loved my work and pulled some strings and guess who they want to feature in their show in a couple months as Best Upcoming Designer?" Kurt practically yells towards the end from excitement, but Blaine is right there with him. 

"Oh my god, Kurt! That's amazing!" Blaine grins, laughing along with Kurt as he pulls him into a hug. Kurt is pretty much bouncing up and down in excitement, but now, Blaine isn't much better. 

"I'm so proud of you, Kurt! If anyone deserves this it's you," Blaine grins, pulling away from Kurt and grinning. Kurt grins back and Blaine can't help himself, leaning forward and kissing him. Kurt grins into the kiss, but manages to kiss him back easily. 

"I love you," he whispers. It takes a second to realize it came out, but Blaine's lips stop moving against his own and he pulls back, looking at him with shock and surprise. Kurt realizes that yes, he said it out loud, and yes, he definitely means it. He supposes he knew for a while, just never really _knew._ Never had that thought of _Oh wow, I'm in love with this man._ But it's been there, probably for a while now. It was in every time Blaine walked into a room and Kurt's heart sped just slightly, even after over half a year of dating each other. It was how perfect he felt every time Blaine held him in his arms, how content he was in those mornings he'd stay over at Blaine's apartment and they'd wake up in the same bed together. Oh yeah, he was certainly in love with this amazing man in front of him. 

"I love you too," Blaine whispers back. Kurt's grin is wider than it's been in a long time, wider than even the newfound knowledge that's he's going to be featured in a major fashion magazine's fashion show. Kurt laughs, unable to help the sound of pure happiness before his lips find Blaine's again. And as he continues kissing the boy that was once a handsome stranger, he can't help thinking of how thankful he is that a little girl bumped into him all those months ago. 


End file.
